We’ve been waiting and waiting. Endlessly. But finally, the KTM 790 Duke has started arriving at showrooms and the launch is just around the corner. While the leaked pricing might be keeping quite a few potential buyers at bay, the 790 Duke is still going to be quite the benchmark in the segment. With an estimated price tag of ~ INR 10 lakh on-road, the bike will rival the likes of Suzuki GSX-S750, Triumph Street Triple & Kawasaki Z900.
Specifications for the India-spec model after all the ARAI approvals stands as follows. The bike will have a 799cc, DOHC, parallel-twin, liquid-cooled, 8-valve motor producing 105 HP of power @ 8000 RPM and 87 Nm of torque @ 8000 RPM. The bike will have a Bosch engine management system with ride-by-wire and fuel-injection. The engine will be matched to a 6-speed gearbox with slipper assist clutch. The bike will have 3 traction control modes and you can also completely disengage it. The bike will be backed by a Bosch 9.1 MP ABS unit with cornering ABS and Supermoto mode. Other specs include a 43mm diameter USD front fork, WP monoshock at the back, dry weight of roughly 169 kg and rides on a trellis chassis with the engine as a stressed member.
The 2019 KTM 790 Duke for India will bring lean angle sensitive traction control on offer which will make it superior in the segment. This will also make the bike easy to ride, and more forgiving. There will also be a Track Mode to ride the bike to its full potential. The bike will feature a quickshifter for up & down gear changes allowing for clutchless gear changes without having to worry about matching the revvs to the speed. The MSR unction on the 790 Duke will prevent the rear wheel from locking under heavy downshifting.
KTM will soon announce the official pricing for the 2019 790 Duke in India. While this is yet to happen, rumour mill is already hinting that KTM is working on a new 890 Duke for 2020.